Rep. Scott Conklin said he’s glad Corbett had a change of heart about the sanctions after the governor stated in July that part of the corrective action to repairing the damage to the university caused by the Jerry Sandusky child sex scandal was “to accept the serious penalties imposed … by the NCAA on Penn State University an its football program.”

Rep. Scott Conklin, D-CentreFile photo

“I’m glad he’s finally joining us,” Conklin said. “But I’m bewildered by the fact that he was for it before he was against it.”

When asked about the governor's July statement about the penalties, Corbett spokesman Kevin Harley dismissed the notion that Corbett changed his mind.

"I'd say as he moved forward he determined and found out the NCAA did not follow their own bylaws," Harley said after the news conference.

Conklin said the governor's office notified his staff about the news conference minutes before it began. He was not able to be in attendance.

Conklin questioned Corbett’s decision to not include Democratic Attorney General-elect Kathleen Kane in discussions about the lawsuit before announcing it. Corbett said he planned to consult with her later about it.

Conklin said rather than contact Kane, he worked with outgoing Attorney General Linda Kelly, who Corbett had appointed to finish out his term after becoming governor, to have her office hand over complete authority in this matter to the general counsel’s office.

Corbett’s General Counsel James Schultz said during the news conference announcing the lawsuit that the transfer of cases between his office and the attorney general’s office is commonplace.

Nonetheless, Conklin said, "I'm still glad to see the governor has changed his course and decided to help the university."

This post has been updated. Staff writer Charles Thompson contributed.

Featured Story

Get 'Today's Front Page' in your inbox

This newsletter is sent every morning at 6 a.m. and includes the morning's top stories, a full list of obituaries, links to comics and puzzles and the most recent news, sports and entertainment headlines.

optionalCheck here if you do not want to receive additional email offers and information.See our privacy policy

Thank you for signing up for 'Today's Front Page'

To view and subscribe to any of our other newsletters, please click here.